Penn Profiles: Andrew Wheeler

York College’s Andrew Wheeler returned this season with a sole focus: win the Capital Athletic Conference Championship and progress deeper into the NCAA Division III Tournament. Wheeler felt that 2006 was a disappointment but saw optimism ahead in 2007.

“We came off a fairly disappointing season in 2006 with being eliminated in the Elite Eight on PKs. We returned 9 of 11 starters for the upcoming year and we added on transfers including, University of Maryland’s Jon Ports and Central Connecticut forward Jason Mancuso. In terms of goals, anything less than a Final Four appearance would be a disappointing year for us. We did have some big wins this year. We finally beat Messiah this year and we had a big win against Johns Hopkins on the road. We had a good year but again we came up short both in league and the NCAA Tournament.”

While those championship goals were not accomplished, the Spartans still posted an impressive 21-3-1 record and returned to the Elite Eight.

Looking back, Andrew Wheeler’s junior season and subsequent summer in the Premier Development League were impressive and noteworthy. He was the 2006 Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Also, he was named to the NSCAA Division III and D3Kicks.com First Team All-American teams. Prior to his senior year, he was able to play for the Hampton Roads Piranhas in the Premier Development League. Interestingly, had it not been for his brother, he may not have been on the team.

“It was quite an experience. I got a call from brother who had spoken to Head Coach John Hall about coming down to play. My brother told Coach Hall about me and told him to give me a call. I soon as I was done with my last final I headed down to Virginia Beach and played two days later. It was an incredible experience. The pace of the game was so much faster. It was a good chance to play with DI caliber players.”

While the team was known for its defense, Wheeler’s fourteen goals and five assists, including four goals versus Northern Virginia, were certainly recognized. At the conclusion of the season, he was named to the PDL All-League Team and was one of three finalists for the Forward of the Year.

After the summer with the Piranhas, he briefly contemplated forgoing his senior season and heading overseas to begin his professional career. Ultimately, he opted to return for another collegiate season and aide in the team’s championship pursuits. Wheeler finished the year with eleven goals and eleven assists. He was also named NSCAA DIII All-South Region Team.

He recently attended the Pro Soccer Combine in Florida. Various professional scouts and personal were in attendance. Soccer City FC will keep you updated on his professional career.